Not Your Time
by SilentDaughter
Summary: During the long two months in Paraguay, Gibbs sees Kate. He thinks she's come to bring him Home...he's ready to go home, but she tells him that it's not his time and that he must keep fighting.


**Just something that's been in my head for a little while.**

 **I own nothing nor do I receive any benefits from my writing. All mistakes are mine.**

 **NCIS**

He wasn't sure how long it had been since he and McGee had been separated but it had to have been less than two hours because the guard hadn't been around to harass him yet.

So here he sat with the wooden splinters of the board he had been carving on when he heard it. It was faint and he struggled to hear it but suddenly it began to grow louder and he realized that it wasn't an _it_ but a _someone_.

He stood, prepared to fight but the person who appeared instead knocked him breathless.

"Katie…" He took a step forward and reached out for her shoulder, fully expecting his hand to go right through the apparition but instead, his hand was met with the warmth of her skin through her shirt. He stared at her and she began to smirk.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Gibbs." The lilt of her voice was soft, smooth, and teasing. It took him a moment to wrap his mind around the fact that she was here in front of him; warm, smiling, and breathing. He couldn't keep it in anymore and wrapped his arms around her in a crushing hug, broken sobs spilling from someplace deep within the man. Kate held him to her and cooed words of comfort into his ear. After what seemed like hours, he let her go and she gently wiped off the moisture from his face.

"Why are ya here, Kate? Are you going to bring me home now?" The woman cringed at how broken the man before her sounded. What once stood a fearless Marine now stood a man so broken that she felt her own long dead heart break. She cradled his strong jaw in her hand and took in the man before her. He was worse for wear but she knew he would be okay.

"No, Gibbs. I'm not bringing you home. We're not even close to it being your time."

"Then why are you here? I haven't seen you in so long…" He trailed off and Kate gave him a gentle smile.

"Yeah, Ned sends his thanks. I'm here, Gibbs, because I need you to hold on for just a little longer. Your team is so close to finding you and they get closer every second. Just hold on for a few more hours, okay? Can you do that?" Kate searched his face for any sign that the older man was indeed done. When she found none and he nodded, she felt like a thousands pounds had been lifted off her chest. Exhaling, she caressed his cheek with her thumb before grabbing him by the hand and pulling him to the ground.

"I think I'll sit here with you until you and McGee are out of here. I don't want to go and then the two of you get yourselves in trouble...again." She huffed and made herself comfortable leaning against the wall. Well, as comfortable as a ghost could be. They were both silent with the only sounds coming from the pained moans of other captives and the heavy thudding of the guards boots.

"I'm sorry, Kate." She turned to look at him, a perfectly arched eyebrow in effect.

"What are you sorry for, Gibbs? You didn't pull the trigger. Ari did. Besides, after Ziva dealt with him, I took my time dealing with him." Kate said and Gibbs couldn't fight the twitch of his lips as they pulled into a little smirk. Even in death, the brunette woman was still as lively as ever.

"I might not have pulled the trigger but I didn't stop Ari from pullin' it. Had I worked harder and faster, I could have shot the son-of-a-bitch before he...shot...you." Even after all these years, he couldn't say it. He was sure that no matter how much time passed, it would be painful to say it.

"Moving onto happier things, I hear McGee tied the knot." Gibbs was thankful for the distraction and nodded his head. He rested his arms on top of his bent knees and fiddled with a sliver of wood.

"Yup. Married a DoD Encryption Analyst a few months back. He and Delilah are expecting their first kid in a few months, too." He said and he laughed at the expression on her face.

"Wow...way to go McGee. She's gotta be one hell of a woman. Gibbs...can you do me a favor?" She waited for the older man to respond before continuing.

"When you get out of here, give everyone a hug for me? I know Tony's in Paris with his daughter but Ducky, Abby, Jimmy, and Tim are still there. Being out there gets kinda lonely after awhile. Don't get me wrong, every once in awhile someone new comes along and we spend about an hour bitching about you but then they continue on and I'm still here. I'm not upset they move on and I'm still stuck in between but I like knowing that you and the others are still safe and happy." Kate paused. "Actually, I saved your ass a couple of times out there. I've saved DiNozzo's ass a couple of times too, now that I think of it. I'll have to get Ziva to mess with him for a little bit as payback." The woman huffed and folded her arms across her chest. That last comment she made had Gibbs' head spinning and his heart breaking.

"Ziva's there...with you?" He asked but he dreaded the answer. Kate nodded and patted her shoulder.

"Yeah, she's with me. Well, technically she's with Tony and Tali but she comes back to rest once in awhile before going back out. Honestly, she's probably out with them now. She misses you guys...like a lot. When she first came to me, she was beside herself. She didn't know what was going on and threw a tantrum but when she realized who I was, Ziva put two and two together and realized what had happened. She gets bummed out once in a while after coming back to rest because she can't be enjoying life with her kid and the guy she loved but she's come to find peace in enjoying life with them from the in between."

Before either one of them could say anything else a scuffle could be faintly heard and Kate suddenly stood.

"It's time, Gibbs. You have to go with McGee and you have to go now, okay?" Gibbs leapt to his feet and grabbed his former agent by the shoulders.

"Where are you gonna go? You can't just leave me here, Kate. Not again." His voice had lowered so much that she had had trouble hearing him. She cradled his face in her hands and brought him closer.

"I'm not going anywhere, Gibbs. I'll be right there with you, just like I have been since the rooftop. You might not see me for a while but I promise that I'll be with you." She brought him close and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. His blue eyes closed and he felt a soft breeze sweep across his face and down his arms. When he opened them again, she was gone.

Suddenly, the door flew open and McGee appeared with their ticket out.

Not knowing if she could hear him, he sent her a silent 'thank you' and vowed to make a trip to the rooftop and Indiana with her favorite flowers and a bottle of bourbon when all of this was over.

 **NCIS**

 **Don't hate me but for the sake of this story, Ziva had been killed in the fire in Israel. I myself still hold hope that she's out there somewhere hiding so that the wrong people don't get their hands on her daughter.**

 **This had been sitting in a folder in my Drive for a while so I decided to finally finish it and send out for you lovely people to read.**

 **If I don't update any of my other stories before tomorrow, I wish all of you a happy and fulfilling Thanksgiving.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


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